Misunderstanding
by MoonsilverTwilight
Summary: Edward left Bella ten years ago. And when he finally comes back, he doesn't find the Bella that he left so long ago. Personally, I think it's a little too fast paced, so it's probably going to be pretty short. Please review!
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

_**PROLOGUE**_

_**Author's Note: Okay, I know what you're all thinking: she's already got two stories, which are incomplete to like, finish, and she starts another one? Well, I can't help it. I just thought of this, like, right now, and if I don't write it down, I am so fully going to forget it. So I shall type it up. The plot's sort of cliché, but the ending is going to be different from what you'd all think to expect. I probably won't actually post it up for a while—my internet's all busted, so yeah. For the record, I wrote this on Sunday, March 23, 2008. It might be a while before you guys see this thing go up, though. Anyway, this is enough of my really long, not to mention annoying, extremely pointless, and sort of useless author's note, which, so far, doesn't really tell you guys anything. This story is going to be done in Bella's point of view, and maybe Edward's if I get around to it. The ending might have a whole bunch of perspectives in it, like At Heaven's Gate, but so far, it should be just BPOV and EPOV. Thanks for reading!**_

_I was alone. That much I knew. I had been alone for years. With no one to comfort me when I was hurt, and no one to tell me that they loved me. My family—Charlie, Renée, they had all stopped talking to me. I was very much alone. Ever since he had left me. I had been left, dying, bleeding, and hurt. Metaphorically, that is. He would never have actually hurt me physically, but it would've hurt less if he did. The hole in my chest had not gone away, it hadn't even numbed, in the last ten years. Give it another decade, maybe I'll start to heal. It wasn't likely, though. 'Forget about me,' he had said to me. Yeah, right! Like I could ever forget someone like him. I may have left behind the love, but I still had the hate. When you hate someone with a passion, you will never forget them, even if you would live for eternity. Which I would._

_The day they left, Victoria had come for me. She had seen the hurt in my eyes—knew that Edward had left me behind forever. Knew that he didn't love me anymore. With no other option, she had given me this eternal life. Forever to dwell on the love that I had had for him. Perhaps, if I saw him again, I would begin to love him. Or... maybe not. I knew that underneath all of my hatred, I still loved him. But I tried to stop myself from loving him—knowing that it would only damage my already wounded heart. It would shred me to pieces the second he left me, even if it were unintentionally. I had not let anyone new into my life, either. I knew it was what he wanted, and he had no right to get what he wanted. This was what he deserved, I tried to tell myself. He did not love me. Probably never did. I was probably just another human girl—one of the many he would pretend to love in his very long lifetime. I now knew why he wouldn't change me himself: he didn't want me to stick around in his life, forever._

_I sometimes missed the ability to cry. Humans had it so easy—when they get upset, the tears wash it all away, if only for a little while. My pain had never dulled. It had never subsided, never even gave me a chance to start again. I knew that he wasn't to blame, however. He had only left me, so that he didn't lead me on, into thinking that he would love me until the end of time. That wasn't possible. When you're a vampire loving a human girl, you would always leave them, somehow. Whether it's because you left, or because of their death, you would never be together, truly._

_I spent most of my days musing the true meaning of love. Was it something that could be captured? Some essence that could be caught in a bottle? Or was loving someone something that only you mind could produce? My life is pathetic. I only hunted every once in a while, (perhaps every two weeks) when I could no longer control the thirst. I kept to the Cullens' 'vegetarian' diet. It was not Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, or even Rosalie that had hurt me. It did no good to mock them by hunting the one thing they swore they would never kill._

_So, yes, it's been a decade. Even if he had lied, and left me to protect me, as I had hoped, he could not possibly love me anymore. A decade is a long time, even if you did live forever. A decade is all it takes for that love to wear out, to be replaced by someone new. Just like a broken toy. When it got old, and you couldn't play with it anymore, you'd throw it away. I was just like that broken toy. I was an old stuffed teddy bear sitting in a box in the attic. Forgotten, hurt._

_After five years of training myself not to go after the humans, I allowed myself to enroll in a local high school. Of course, I wasn't in Forks anymore—there was always a chance that someone would recognize me, and question why I still looked like I had ten years ago, if more beautiful. Nothing had surprised me at all. No one there knew who I was. I wondered what it would be like if the Cullens came back. How would I feel? Would I be glad, or angry? Maybe a little bit of both, I decided. I had bought my own house—after living in one of those shelter places, and realizing how annoying those stupid girls were, I decided to get my own place. It wasn't big—I hadn't had the century's time to gather up enough money to buy myself a mansion. And if I had, people would probably get suspicious, so either way, this way was better._

_I sighed. I was seriously, bored out of my mind. Ten years of taking the same courses, over and over. A decade of listening to those idiotic teachers drone on and on about unimportant things that would probably never matter—for me, at least. True, I didn't have to listen to what the stupid teachers said anymore, but now it was a matter of not writing too many correct answers on tests, instead of the other way around._

_I sometimes wonder what it would be like if Victoria had not changed me. Would I have found someone else to love? A human? Would I have a family? Would I be coming home from work to be greeted by my three-year-old daughter? Would I still love Edward? Or would he have become someone from the past? After all, it was 'just a crush'... not! How had I lived all these years, knowing he didn't love me, I had no idea. I wondered what he would be doing now. Would he have found someone else? I hoped he had. I was angry at him for hurting me, that much was true, but I did not want to deny him happiness. If he was happy, I probably would be too. How would I feel, though? Happy? Glad that he was finally out of my life? Or jealous, that some other girl had took what had used to be mine?_

_Imagine how surprised I was, when, out of nowhere, I saw that tuft of bronze hair. Those beautiful topaz eyes that I had fallen in love with, now as deep an onyx as they could be? Those beautiful eyes, staring, unseeing, at the ground. Imagine how shocked I was that this had happened in the school cafeteria? Should I walk up to him? Tell him off for leaving me all those years ago? Run up to him and hug him? I couldn't stay in the room any longer. I picked up my tray of uneaten food, and dumped it into a nearby garbage can. If I were still human, I would've cried._

_I noticed that Alice was with him. "Bella!" she said urgently, but very quiet._

_I saw that he looked up, and scanned the room, but did not see me. He lowered his head again, and continued to stare at the apple in his hand, as if it were the reason for his troubles. I was shocked when I saw a single tear drop from his eye, before he angrily wiped it away. But... wait. That wasn't right! Vampires can't cry! I thought. But what if... what if he still loved me, and that love bypassed one of the most important rules of being a vampire? He looked down, and said, "She hates me, she doesn't love me, she'll never love me again," very quietly, almost as if he was chanting. Fat chance. Screw my stupid, dead, un-beating heart for still loving him even though my brain knew it was insensible. _

_I gathered up all of my belongings, and charged out of there as fast as I could without attracting attention, that is. I didn't even head up to the office to tell the teachers that I was leaving. When I finally got out of that wretched school, I dumped my stuff out in my car. There, I sat for hours, sobbing without tears into my hands. I had thought I would be braver. That I could at least handle the fact that they were only a couple of meters away from me. But I wasn't. I was a coward, a pathetic coward._

_They did not come after me, though I doubted it would be long before Emmett and Jasper cornered me somewhere in the school. I got home, and just sat on the couch in the 'living room,' which was just a small, empty space with a TV and two couches in it, and stared out the window. I was mesmerized by the sight of him. I would give anything to know he still loved me. But I would not let him hurt me again._


	2. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE: MEETING AGAIN

**CHAPTER ONE: MEETING AGAIN**

**Author's Note: Sorry if that chapter didn't make all that much sense, but the beginning was just Bella thinking about Edward and stuff. And then, she was just sitting there in the cafeteria and she sees Edward. And if anyone doesn't get it, Edward has basically broken down, and gone all nuts... well, not really. He's not totally hallucinating and junk, but he basically doesn't pay attention to anything, and he'll just look up when someone mentions Bella or something like that. I don't study the human brain or anything—or the vampire mind, actually, so sorry if it sounds really weird and everything. This chapter is in Edward's perspective.**

These days, only one word registered in my brain. Bella. Just her name would light up a spark in me that had been dead for the last ten years. One side of my brain told me to go back and find her, but the other half was scared that I would see her with someone else, and even more frightening, was the thought that she might not be there at all. I was an idiot for leaving her. But if I had stayed, she would've gotten hurt. I could not bear to hurt my Bella anymore. I should never have existed. Yes, that's right. If I had never existed, and had never loved her, it wouldn't have hurt either of us when I left. A clean break. But Bella was human. Memories in the human mind fade. Soon, I would just become a shadow of the person she had used to love. Bella had given me so much. Before she came into my life, I truly was just a living stone. But now? Could I even qualify as living?

When I was sitting there in that cafeteria, surrounded by the imbecile human children, I heard Alice say her name. Bella! I looked up, though not expecting to see her. I was right. My love was not there. She would never be there for me ever again. I was so selfish... I am a monster; how could she possibly love a monster? One tear fell from my eye. I wiped it hastily away. It was venom, as vampires cannot produce true tears—or cry at all, supposedly, but I was used to it.

And besides, she would probably hate me, now. She should never have loved me. I had only hurt her. Maybe it would've been better if she had gone with that Mike Newton... well, no. Anyone but him, I mused. She would be better off without me, though. Alice often told me not to 'beat myself up over it,' but how could I not? It was obviously my fault. Nowadays, they didn't even try to talk to me anymore. I stayed inside myself, pushing every thought to the farthest corner of my mind. My only thoughts left were Bella. I didn't allow myself the pleasure of remembering the happy times. I don't deserve that. I thought of the day I had left her in that forest, broken. How hard it had been for me to leave her.

That night, I heard them mention Bella's name again. Why were they doing this to me? Why didn't they understand that we had to leave her alone, and not bother her anymore? Why didn't they...?

"I swear, it was her," Alice was saying, "It was Bella, I'm sure of it!"

"Why would Bella still be in high school?" Emmett asked, "She couldn't have failed it THAT many times."

"Because she was changed, you dope!" Alice screeched, "She's one of us, now."

What?! Bella... poor, sweet Bella! She could not be... And I was not there for her. I truly am a monster. I... Why didn't she ever tell me? Why didn't she come find me? Because, you idiot, she hates you, I told myself. Of course she would. I had never given her reason not to. But... why? Who had changed her? James was dead. Laurent wouldn't dare... it must've been Victoria. My brain activity was more than it had been in a decade.

"What happened to Bella?" I managed to say.

"Edward... I," she paused, "She's here, Edward. She's here. Do you want to go see her?"

"No," I said harshly, "She won't want to see me."

"You can't know that until you try, Edward."

"No," I repeated, "I won't bother her. I won't ever hurt her again."

"You IDIOT!" she screamed, launching herself at me, "Edward, if you don't go see her, I shall go see her myself. I'll tell her you hate her. That you want her to stay the hell away from you... I'll...!"

"You'll make pointless threats that you'll never actually go through with," I smiled, "Fine, Alice. I'll go see her. Once. And if she doesn't want to see me, I'll never trouble her with my presence again."

"That's my little brother," she said, "Go on."

"Right now?" I asked, surprised. Her thoughts confirmed it.

"I'll come with you," she said.

"Thank-you, Alice," I said, "I would never have gone if you hadn't suggested it, you know."

"You guys are so stupid sometimes, though," she said as we walked at human pace to get the car, "You think she hates you, she thinks you hate her... tsk, tsk, tsk."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, honestly curious.

"Well, it's just that... I saw her crying in her room saying over and over that you don't love her anymore. This was a few years ago, of course. She was screaming and just about killing her room—you should've seen the hole she made in her closet door. Anyway, she was sobbing, without tears, obviously, and saying that you must hate her, for becoming the one thing you didn't want her to be."

"She's alright, now?" I asked.

"Well... she was," Alice said, "When she saw us today; you in particular, it sent her over the edge a little. She's crying in her room right now. I was hoping you could comfort her to prove that you still love her," she said slyly.

I sighed. My little pixie-like sister was just plain evil sometimes. "Well, fine. But... are you sure that she'll forgive me?"

"I can't see it, because you haven't decided to go yet," she pointed out, "You're only coming because I am, but I'm not going to be the one that's doing anything. And since you haven't made the decision, I can't tell what's going to happen."

When we arrived at Bella's house, Alice jumped out of the car to go knock on the door. No doubt Bella had heard us already, if what Alice had said was true and she was one of us now, but she would want to keep up the human façade, and not jump up to answer the door the second she heard footsteps. I struggled to compose myself, but all that was out the window the second she opened that damn door.

Bella had always been beautiful, but now she was even more so. I knew it was not because she was a vampire and we were naturally stunning-looking, compared to humans, but because I had not seen her in so long.

"Alice," she said in a welcoming voice, "What brings you here?" There was no surprise in her tone.

"Edward and I are here... to apologize."

"Apology accepted, Edward," she said coldly, "Please leave me alone."

I felt as if she had hit me with a sack of bricks. She had just verified my worry. "Bella, please let me explain," I said, "I just wanted to—"

"We both know that there's no explanation necessary," she said curtly, "You_ don't_ love me, you _didn't _love me, and you won't love me, _ever_. I'm not special enough for Edward Cullen. I know that. I don't need anything more from you."

"Bella," my voice sounded as if I were in physical pain, "Please."

"No," she said, "I'm sorry. Alice, I apologize for you having to make a run down here. Edward? Goodbye." And she slammed the door in my face.

I felt numb. How could this be possible? Of course. Because I had earned nothing better. Bella was just doing what she had to do. Cut me out of her life. I knew that it was too late, now. Too late to do anything.

"Edward," Alice said, "Edward, please look at me."

"She's right," I said slowly, "She doesn't need anything from me. She's a thousand times... a million times better than I am. She's an angel, and I hurt her. I hurt her, and I have to pay the consequences."

"Edward, listen to me," Alice said with authority.

"There's nothing more to hear," I said, "Goodbye, Alice." I had made up my mind. I would catch the very next plane to Italy, and say my final goodbye to this world. I was taking the only option that I had left to me.

"You will do no such thing, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" she screeched.

"I am," I said, pushing her out of the way, "I'm sorry."

She gave up, and let me push past her. "We won't allow you to go," she said. If she could cry, she would've, right then.

"Please say goodbye to Carlisle and Esme for me," I said, ignoring her words, "And Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. Tell them I said thank-you for taking me in all those years ago, and giving me the best years of my life. Tell them that."

"Edward," she said softly, "Don't do it."

"I have no other choice," I said, simply, "I love you all, but I cannot live without Bella."

"Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle... they won't let you do it," she continued, "I won't let you either. We can persuade Bella to love you again. She does love you, you know! She's just putting up this front because she's scared you won't let her love you."

"Don't lie to me, Alice," I said, "I know that she doesn't love me. And I'm not going to stick around long enough for her to tell me that she hates me again."

With that, I was gone. I would say good bye to this world, as my good bye to my family and Bella had already been said. Tomorrow, I would be on the plane. The day after that, I would be leaving all of this behind forever.


	3. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for making Bella so mean, but it's essential to my plot. I guess all of you readers probably hate me, now. Virtual cookies for all as my apologies!! Oh, and I guess I forgot to say that Eclipse never happened in this story. This would be in New Moon. Bella got changed right after the Cullens left. Told you it was cliché. This chapter is going to be in Bella's point of view. This chapter made me cry, writing it, so please don't sue me if it makes you cry too. And since it made me cry, I hope you'll actually read it.**

_Dearest Bella,_

_I am going to get straight to the point. I know that you don't love me anymore. I do not blame you. I know that all I have done is hurt you. I don't deserve an angel like you. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused. I know that nothing can take back the pain that I gave you, and I'm sorry. I know what you will say. 'Sorry doesn't cut it.' Well, I know what I can do to not cause you any more pain._

_I am taking myself away from you, forever. I am leaving on a plane to Italy tonight. I'm sorry for not saying good bye to you in person, but I doubt you'd let me get a word in edgewise, so hopefully, this short letter is enough._

_Bella, I hope you do one more thing for me before I leave this world, and you. I want you to promise me that if you do ever fall in love with anyone again, it will not be someone like me. That it will be someone who will never ever hurt you. Perhaps that person will be like Mike Newton, with his annoying persistency. It doesn't matter. 'To each his own.' I know that you will be able to love again._

_Please know that I have always loved you, for the past ten years. I only left you in the hope that you'll find someone who is safer for you. I suppose that I was wrong, and that my effort was pointless. I have debated with myself, endless times, whether I should've done this earlier. I always told myself no, because I would've hurt my family. But now that I am sure that you don't love me anymore, there is no point in staying here._

_I know that you never want to see me again. I know that you probably wish that I had never existed. You probably wish that I'd died in 1918 like I would've had Carlisle not saved me. Yes, I say saved me, Bella, because if I had died in 1918, I would never have met you. Even though you hate, please remember that_ I'll_ always love _you_. Please do not try to forgive me. I don't deserve it._

_Where I am going, you'll never be my sweet angel. You're too good to go to hell, where I most definitely will be. Thank you for loving me, if only for a short time._

_Goodbye, Bella. I love you._

_Edward_

I sobbed tearlessly as I read this. Edward! No...! How could he do this?! Of course. It was entirely my fault. When he had come to apologize to me, I had pushed him away. Even if he wasn't with me, an angel like Edward could not be absent from this world. I had to save him. He could not die. He won't. Just when I was reading the letter, Rosalie came barreling into my house, Emmett in tow, and slammed into me.

"You BITCH!" she screamed, "What have you done?!"

"I... I don't know," I sobbed, as she slapped me hard on my face. It hurt, but not nearly as much as the thought that Edward wouldn't be here.

"Bella," Emmett said, "What happened? Did he...?"

"He said... he said that he's leaving for Italy, tonight."

"Tonight?" Emmett asked, "Then perhaps we're not too late."

"Bella, do you have a passport?" Alice asked, urgently.

"Yes," I answered, not bothering to get them an explanation, and ran upstairs as fast as I could and retrieved it from inside a drawer in my bedroom.

An hour later, we were on our way to the airport, in Alice's car. "Bella, could I see the letter?" she asked.

I handed her the piece of paper wordlessly. I hadn't made a sound since we had entered the car. She skimmed through the words quickly, and handed it back to me. "Let's go," she said, getting the car into a spot so fast that it left skid marks in the parking lot ground.

By the time we had made it past the customs, and were on the plane, another hour and a half had passed. Once we were on the plane, there was no hope of finding some mean to distract myself. I fidgeted. I played with my fingers. I tried to shove the thought that Edward could be dying right now to the farthest corner of my mind. I did not succeed.

"His flight was the one right before this one; only a little while ago," Alice said, giving us all of the information that we needed, and telling us all that she had seen, "We won't have any delays. He is heading straight to Volterra. Umm... they won't do what he wants them to, so he'll probably try some other way... That's all there is for now."

I wondered what I would do if Edward were already dead by the time we were there. Would I live happily ever after liked he'd hoped? Fat chance. I would never find someone like him ever again. Would I try to find him? Would I be so depressed that I would try to kill myself too? Should I try to respect his last wish? Or should I try to make myself, and hopefully Edward, happy?

I had never felt more like an idiot. I had only been trying to give him a taste of what it felt like to be left there, hanging onto the end of a thread. Knowing that the person you loved probably doesn't love you back. Who knew that he would try to kill himself?! I cried tearlessly in Alice's shoulder, while Rosalie stared daggers at me.

When we arrived in Volterra, the sun was beginning to rise. (Author's Note: This is why I didn't include the time that they left. Time zones bug me—I never get it right) Alice stole a car from somewhere, and soon, we were driving to Volterra at what felt like the speed of light. It only took about an hour to get there. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw Edward. His eyes were closed, a smile playing across his face. The wind was blowing his hair in one direction. Even standing there like a statue, the dark circles under his eyes showing that he hadn't fed in a while, he was still beautiful.

"Edward, no! Please, don't do it!" I screamed, hoping desperately that he would hear me, and importantly, care.

"Bella," he said simply, a smile once again playing across his features, "How nice of you to come."

"No, Edward, please, listen to me!" I begged, "Don't do it! Don't kill yourself! I'm not worth it—"

"Hell no, you aren't," I heard Rosalie mutter.

"But you can't do this to yourself!" I cried, "Please, Edward!"

His eyes were hard, when he said, "I have no wish to trouble anyone anymore. Have a nice existence, Bella. I love you. Do it, Aro."

The vampire standing beside him, who, honestly, looked old enough to be my grandfather, leaned in close to him, ready to snap his neck. "No! Edward, no!" I jumped and slammed the old vampire out the way. Edward was knocked to the ground, and at first, it seemed that his brain didn't register what was happening.

"Bella?" he asked, as I nodded, "Why are you on top of me?"

If I could've I would've blushed. "Well... um, see..."

Emmett laughed loudly, "Ahh, Bella never changes."

My face would be scarlet by now, but I continued, ignoring Emmett's interruption, "You were trying to kill yourself. Well, actually, you were trying to get that guy to kill you," I pointed to that what's-his-face? Aro, "And I pushed you out of the way, knocking him in the general direction of not going to sink his teeth into you, and then I landed on top of you," I said, triumphant that I hadn't stuttered once.

"Oh, well, in that case, may I ask why you're here at all?"

"Edward, I'm not worth dying for," I whispered softly, as he held me up closely to his face, as if trying to believe that I was real.

"I guess that it's a bit late to tell you that I love you, isn't it?" he asked, looking down.

"It's never too late, Edward," I told him, "And for the record, I love you more."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" he asked, "I'm the one who was willing to die for you, remember? Or have you forgotten already, Bella?" he teased.

I put my head on his chest, and lay there for a while, before I realized that everyone else was still there. "Shoo!" I told them, laughing now.

"Please remember that we are in public right now, and many children's eyes shall be scarred for life if you have a make-out session right here," Rosalie taunted, seeming glad now that I was no longer a reason for her brother's death.

I ignored her, and kissed Edward right on the lips—something that I'd dreamed of doing for so long. I sighed, and I would've blushed, had I not been changed into a vampire and become incapable of that. "So..." I said, trying to cover up the rather awkward silence, as he laughed. "I'm sorry."

His eyes were abruptly serious. "There's nothing for you to be sorry for, Bella. I'm the one who should be, and will be apologizing. I'm sorry for leaving you. If I'd known what would've happened, I never..."

"Edward," I said, giving him one of my serious don't-mess-with-me looks, "It's not your fault. You were just trying to protect me. Granted, it didn't work out as well as you'd hoped, but seriously, you've said so yourself. I'm weird, and my brain doesn't work the way other's do."

"Bella, sweet Bella," he said, lifting me up and taking my hand, "You forgive me way too easily. I should be punished, don't you see? I've caused you so much pain... even if you forgive me, I will never forgive myself. I'm truly a monster... a selfish monster that just hurts everyone he loves."

"That's exactly what I was saying to myself, Edward. You can't just let everything go like that. Tell me... if you thought that I truly didn't love you anymore, would you have...?"

"Probably," he looked down sheepishly, "But I truly cannot survive without you, Bella."

**Author's Note: Okay, I think that this story is going to be SERIOUSLY short, but I'll try to make it longer if you guys don't hate me for dragging it out. I basically have my entire plot (that I could think of) here in three chapters... I suck. Anyway, I'll probably add something to the plan of things, and stuff. Anyway, love you all, and virtual cookies (or brownies or ice cream or whatever) to all of my reviewers!!**


	4. Author's Note Sorry!

I know you guys all hate author's notes as chapters, but this is just to tell you that I WILL be updating this story soon. Probably tomorrow, or Sunday, but for sure before mid-December. Sorry for the wait!!! Forgive me, please?? I'll probably replace this note with the chapter once I update, so don't review yet, or just PM me.

Ciao

~MoonsilverTwilight


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